EPMD

Long Island-born rappers Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith formed the underground hip-hop duo EPMD in the late 1980s. Creating a sound and stance so self-assured as to seem effortless, they were among very few rap artists with the talent to pull it off without sounding lazy. EPMD did much to revitalize a flagging rap scene with UNFINISHED BUSINESS, an early outburst of controlled creative energy that sampled rock sources as well as underground dance music, working up a healthy, funk-fueled groove.

• pop
• hip hop/rap
• 1990s